Visitors to a Southend local will feel like they are pitch-side after the landlord Mark Wenn has turfed the entire pub!

The Parson’s Barn, one of Southend’s oldest pubs, now has wall-to-wall grass as a tribute to the start of this year’s World Cup.

Footie mad Landlord Mark Wenn said that visitors' reactions had been "shock and laughter" after discovering the bar's new theme.

The newly laid turf has been marked out like a football pitch and includes goals at either end.

Mr Wenn said that the new flooring did not need much looking after.  He explains, “At the end of the night we brush it and give it a bit of water.  It looks fantastic and is in much better condition than the pitch at Wembley!”

The grass is expected to remain until the end of the tournament on July 11th.

The Parson’s Barn will be showing ALL the World Cup games live on the pubs big screens.  Mark and his team have been preparing for the World Cup since January, when they launched a football ‘shirt amnesty’ asking locals to donate unwanted football shirts.  Thousands of shirts were collected and delivered to excited kids in Johannesburg and Cape Town Townships last month.

Mark Wenn adds, “Our newly turfed pub really makes you feel like you’re pitchside – it even smells like it!  We’re known for our great atmosphere and with our high quality food and drink we think watching the World Cup with us is as good as it gets.”

The Parson’s Barn is located in the town of Shoeburyness.  A distinctive old listed building in the shape of an old barn, it has been a pub for over thirty years. 

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The Parson’s Barn - Frobisher Way, Shoeburyness, Southend on Sea, Essex  SS3 8UT